This invention relates to interactive television systems such as interactive television program guide systems, and more particularly, to techniques for program searching in these systems.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide a large number of television channels. Typically, the number of channels provided by cable and satellite systems is over a hundred and ever increasing. Television viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to obtain programming information. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed to allow television program information to be displayed on viewer television equipment.
Interactive electronic television program guides (“program guides”) typically provide program listings for all channels available in the television system. Some program guides include features for allowing users to search for programs. Such search features are often complex, time-consuming, and cumbersome. For example, such search features may require that a user select search parameters such as preferred programming genres before searching for programs, that a user navigate through several display screens before being allowed to initiate a search, that the user enter at least a portion of a program title to initiate a search, etc.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a television system that includes an improved program searching feature.